


Stay With Me

by Badkenma_Goodkarma



Series: Shifters [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Death, Fluff, M/M, kind of smut/just a little
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-29
Updated: 2019-05-10
Packaged: 2020-02-09 22:59:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,528
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18647848
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Badkenma_Goodkarma/pseuds/Badkenma_Goodkarma
Summary: {Mixing my love of werewolf stories with my love for Haikyuu.}After an attack on the school, Akaashi and Bokuto set out to Sendai for safety.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! This first chapter will probably be slower than the others, but I have 6 chapters done for this part and there will be 4 parts total! each one focuses on a different pair. This one revolves around bokuto and akaashi.

The silence following the sound of a ball hitting the floor was broken with an extremely loud, “HEY HEY HEY!”.

Akaashi was already turning away to grab some water, ignoring the yells from his teammates. _Only 45 seconds until Bokuto realizes I am not near him and demands more tosses._ He glanced out the window of Karasuno’s gym to see the sun getting low.

A heavy arm wrapped around his shoulder and Akaashi turned his chin to see gold eyes extremely close to his. _6 seconds sooner than I originally thought._

“Akaaaaashi, let’s do one more game, yea? Karasuno isn’t tired either!” Bokuto bounced lightly on the balls of his feet as he spoke. He tightened his arm slightly and brought his face closer. “If you toss to me for one more game, I’ll go with you to that bookstore we saw on the way here”. He smiled as he spoke and Akaashi smelled the spearmint gum he had been chewing on his breath as it brushed against his face. He felt his heartbeat speed up slightly and stepped away from Bokuto.

Looking over his shoulder he saw the entire Karasuno team, except for Hinata, on the floor of the gym looking extremely winded. Nekoma’s team sat against the wall. He made eye contact with Kozume, who glared at him, knowing Bokuto was most likely asking for another game. He turned back to his spiker, who was now full on jumping into the air as he waited for Akaashi to answer. “Bokuto-san, we have been playing for 7 hours straight. Why don’t we let everyone rest and play a game in the morning before we head back to Tokyo.”

The change was immediate. Bokuto’s shoulders slumped and he started to whine. “Akaaaaaashi-“

“Hey Bo, I heard there was this really cool arcade nearby and I bet there is no way you could beat me at any of the games there.”

Akaashi turned to see Kuroo walk over and sling his arm around Bokuto. “HEY HEY HEY, I can definitely beat you at all the games. Wanna bet? when can we go? we should invite everyone. HEY HEY! GET OFF THE FLOOR, WE’RE GOING TO AN ARCADE!” Bokuto ran over to the other side of the gym and grabbed a very annoyed Kozume. He spun him around and Akaashi swore he heard him hiss as his DS fell to the floor. 

“OW! Kenma bit me!” He watched as Bokuto immediately dropped Kozume and the smaller man wasted no time in grabbing his DS and curling himself into a ball behind Lev.

Akaashi let one side of his mouth tilt up before he remembered where he was. He looked at Kuroo who was staring straight at him. He arched an eyebrow and made his face as indifferent as he could. People often thought he was emotionless and that was how he preferred it. After being bullied in middle school for asking his crush out to the movies, he realized quickly that: 1) people were cruel, 2) a guy asking another guy on a date was not acceptable, and 3) love is not worth the amount of pain it causes.

Kuroo looked like he was going to say something but a noise from outside the gym caught their attention. Only a few of their teammates noticed. It was a strange sound, like paper tearing and twigs snapping. It was soft and the only ones who noticed were those right in front of the open windows. Then the screams started.

Akashi immediately looked to Bokuto, who was pestering Kozume. Kozume’s head snapped up as he stood, searching the gym. When his gaze found Kuroo, he dropped his DS and ran to him. Karasuno’s captain immediately went to the gym doors and peeked outside. Akaashi looked towards Kuroo who was trying to calm Kozume down. “Kuro we need to leave now, I have a bad feeling about this, I want to go home, Kuro we need to-“

“Daichi!”

Akaashi turned and what happened next seemed to occur in slow motion. Like one of the action movies Bokuto forced him to watch at a sleepover the other week. Karasuno’s captain fell back form the door with a creature on top of him. It was big and covered in black fur, and when it lifted its head from the fallen man’s torn neck, he realized it was a wolf. As the wolf stepped off of the captains body, he realized it was a _big_ wolf.

“DAICHI!” A man with gray hair followed by Karasuno’s wild member with the shaved head immediately ran towards the wolf and the captain- _Daichi_. One look and Akaashi knew he was dead; the blood was leaking towards his feet but he couldn’t move. He kept staring because this was Japan, and this breed of wolf didn’t live here… right?

Obviously he was dreaming. He was still on the bus, probably drooling on Bokuto, something he would no doubt be teased for when he woke up. He was not looking at a dead mans body. He was not watching the same wolf charge and attack the bald volleyball player. He was not watching the one with gray hair scream and try to stop the bleeding with his hands. An arm flew across the gym and another body fell to the floor. The crazy one with the bald head. The blood had definitely reached his shoes by now. If he looked down he was sure he would see the blood rising to his ankles with how much was leaking out of the bodies on the floor. But he couldn’t look down. Because the wolf looked at him. He became aware that Kozume and Kuroo were no longer at his side. He was alone. In front of an animal that killed two people already. It leaned back and opened its mouth. A weird sound came out. It almost looked like it was laughing but that would be impossible. He guessed he was in shock from the way he couldn’t move, couldn’t think, couldn’t breathe, couldn’t hear anything except for the ringing in his ears. It lunged and everything stayed in slow motion. He knew he was going to die. But as it reached him, something else hit him hard on his side and he flew.

All of his senses seemed to come back to him at once. 

He heard the screaming first and the loud sound of footsteps running and windows shattering. He heard the loud breathing of the person on top of him and the growl of the wolf that had skidded past them. He was on his stomach and turned his head to see Bokuto, with his forehead against Akaashi’s back.

“Bokuto-san? whats happening? why is there a wolf in the middle of the gym? I don’t unders-”

He cut himself off as Bokuto’s head snapped up and he looked around, stopping when he spotted the wolf. It was a few feet away and Akaashi could see the hair on its spine rise. His stomach felt weird and an emotion threatened to consume him. He recognized the fear that was encompassing his body, but a second later he realized the fear wasn’t for himself. As he looked up at Bokuto, who had jumped up to crouch his body over Akaashi and was keeping his eyes locked on the wolf’s movements, he knew the fear was for the boy in front of him. The one stupid enough to not run out of the gym with everyone else when the animal was tearing apart the Karasuno member. His hand was moving before his brain caught up and he touched Bokuto’s left bicep, felt the muscles twitch under his hand, but Bokuto never took his eyes off the wolf.

A howl came from somewhere outside the gym and the wolf’s head immediately turned towards the sound. It seemed to hesitate and then with one final glance back at them, it ran out of the gym, skidding slightly from the blood on the floor.

Bokuto looked down at him and gently touched his jaw. Some of his hair had fallen and his eyes were unusually serious.

“Akaashi… we need to leave, almost everyone ran the second that thing tore into Tanaka. We need to go too before it comes back.”

Bokuto jumped to his feet and grabbed Akaashi’s hand, pulling him up as he stood. Akaashi looked around the gym. His eyes stopped on the gray haired man who was still hunched over the dead body. Akaashi grabbed Bokuto’s hand, intertwining their fingers, and dragging him over to the crying man whose name he was desperately trying to remember.

When they stopped in front of the torn body, the other man looked up at them. _Sugawara- that’s his name._

“Sugawara-san. Please come with us, we need to leave immediately to find help.”

Sugawara looked back down at Daichi whose eyes were open and sightless. He didn’t say anything and for a moment Akaashi thought about leaving him. The thought lasted for only a moment before he banished it. Akaashi wasn’t sure how to get the other man to come with them, but it was clear they couldn’t stay at the school. The howl indicated that there were two wolves, possibly more, and they couldn’t be stuck in a building with only one exit. He felt his hand lose warmth and broke himself out of his thoughts to see Bokuto crouch near Sugawara.

“I’m sorry this happened. He was your friend, yea? He wouldn’t want you to die here with him. We need to go now and we want you to come with us. Please.” Bokuto stood and held his hand out. Sugawara looked up at Bokuto and then back down at Daichi. He closed the dead mans eyes and bent to place a kiss on the corner of his mouth.

“Goodbye, my love”

Sugawara stood and wiped his face with the palms of his hands. Akaashi made sure to school his features when the gray haired man brought his hands down and looked at them. He nodded at him and then grabbed Bokuto’s hand again. Bokuto wasted no time in linking their fingers and they rushed out of the gym. They passed a stack of gym bags and Akaashi snagged his as he ran by. Alongside the journal he always keeps with him, he had added a couple of water bottles, granola bars, and a first aid kit to his bag this morning. He looked back to see Sugawara following them, but he looked dead in the eyes.

They walked through the school grounds and noticed several dead bodies and torn limbs. When they reached the gates of the school, they stood there for a moment. It was eerily quiet. The sky had turned a light pink; a warning sign that the sun was about to be gone. The pavement was painted red but Akaashi chose to ignore why that was and focused on their plan of action. Everyone had scattered when the wolf was busy attacking the Karasuno player and he didn’t know if they were dead or had somehow made it past however many wolves were waiting for them on the school grounds.

A sound made them all turn their heads towards the right. An SUV was making its way slowly down the street. It pulled up in front of them and a man in a police officer uniform hopped out of the back.

“Hey, you kids know if there is anyone else still in the school building?” Akaashi shook his head and the man looked back into the truck and nodded. Two more men jumped out. They were also wearing police uniforms and they immediately went past them and into the school. The first man stopped in front of them. “Why don’t you guys get in the car and wait for us. We’re going to search the school and then the neighborhoods behind it to find any more survivors. Orders are to evacuate to Sendai. Everyone in the Miyagi district is evacuating there so you guys can meet up with your families when we arrive.”

“We’re from Tokyo. Do you have a phone we can call you parents on to let them know what happened?” Bokuto’s reply seemed to shock the police officer.

“You’re from Tokyo?”

“Yes, we were here for a practice match.”

“I am very sorry to inform you kids this… Tokyo was hit the hardest. All major cities were attacked with great numbers and most living inthe city didn’t survive. If your parents were there then… it is unlikely you will see them again”

 

 

An hour later, the three men were back in the SUV. It had been dead silent since the they were told about Tokyo, but they all looked up as the man who seemed to be in charge spoke. “We couldn’t find anyone. Let’s circle the surrounding neighborhoods and then head out. I’ll contact the other patrol.”

“Hey, ‘kaashi, do you think Kuroo and Kenma are alright?”

Akaashi looked over at Bokuto and opened his mouth to tell him that it was unlikely considering the amount of carnage they walked through. He stopped himself though when he met Bokuto’s eyes. They were sad, not hopeful. As if he knew they were probably dead but saying the words would make it too real. He grabbed his hand and held it in between his palms, “Yes, Bokuto-san. They are very smart and fast. I am sure we will see them in Sendai.”

Bokuto smiled and leaned his forehead against Akaashi’s. When he ran his hand up the other mans arm he felt him flinch. He immediately leaned back to see what caused it. He looked at Bokuto’s right arm and found a chunk of skin missing. He looked up but Bokuto was still staring at his arm. “The wolf got me when I tackled you… I completely forgot… it doesn’t even really hurt,” he looked at Akaashi and he must have seen something in his face because he gave him a small smile. “Don’t worry ‘kaashi, I’m okay and ill keep you safe too”.

“Well fuck me. If all this hadn’t happened I wouldn’t have believed it.”

Akaashi tore his eyes away from Bokuto to look at the men sitting towards to front of the car. Sugawara, who hadn’t said a word since leaving the gym, leaned forward slightly, “what did they just say on there?” he pointed to the walkie talkie in one of their hands. The police officer who spoke turned to them.

“Those animals are fucking human. Can you believe it? We shot one and it shifted into a man! what the actual fuck!” the police officer became more hyper as he spoke, practically bouncing in his seat.

_Werewolves? That’s crazy. Those are for stories and B rated horror films. But if it is real then why did they attack? It seemed like an organized event from what I’ve heard. In all the stories I’ve read, werewolves are mindless animals, but the one in the gym seemed smart. They also bite peop-_

Akaashi’s head immediately turned to Bokuto who was still listening to the police officers talk about the possibility of werewolves. He looked down at the jagged bite mark on Bokuto’s arm. 

_They also bite people and turn them._


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So originally I was gonna release the chapters like once or twice a week, but then I got nervous since this is my first fanfic and I didn't really like the first chapter but I wasn't sure how to start this series so here I am, posting the second chapter an hour later.

 

 

May 21

 My name is Akaashi Keiji. ~~I am cataloguing the events of the attack in case we die~~. I am writing 4 hours after the attack. We are with ~~Sugawara~~ Suga and 3 police men trying to find any survivors before heading to Sendai, where they are gathering everyone. Here is what we know so far

1.) The animals that are attacking us are ~~human~~ like werewolves.

2.) The animal form is not limited to wolves. Someone in Kyoto saw a bear and another in Sapporo reported a fox attacking a hospital.

3.) When they die they revert to human form.

~~4.) Their bite may be contagious.~~

May 22

We slept in the SUV we’ve been driving around in. We ran out of gas last night but the police thought it would be too dangerous to walk around when we can’t see, so we’re waiting until the sun is higher in the sky to move. ~~I think the bite on Bokuto’s arm is infected~~ I think Bokuto is running a fever. We might have to stop and get medicine from a store. He says he is fine but his body is twitching and he burns to touch.

~~I think the bites tun people~~

~~I don’t know what to do~~

~~I think i love him~~

~~I think we’re going to die.~~

May 23

We walked for 7 hours. ~~Sugawara~~ Suga isn’t talking. ~~I think he was dating the cap~~ He is in mourning over his fallen friend and missing teammates. Bokuto was becoming more like himself. He was energetic and made jokes with the policemen. ~~He held my hand~~ I assumed he was frightened but did not want to show it so I allowed him to hold my hand for comfort. We passed by a daycare an hour ago. The window next to the door showed us what awaited inside.

Bokuto stopped talking.

May 24  

We broke into a house today. We hadn’t eaten in 2 days and we were lucky enough to find food and protein bars to take with us for our trip. We haven’t seen anyone else yet. The police said that there have been several patrols and they already picked up a lot of survivors. They were the final ones before the city would be abandoned so I guess we were lucky to find them.

I think were going to survive this.

May 25

Bokuto’s fever broke ~~but he is acting strange~~. we no longer need medicine which is good.

Today we saw our first survivor.

Today we saw this survivor hunch down and witnessed his bones break and his skin rip apart. He bled as his body transformed and a minute later, a bear stood in front of us.

Today we killed one of the creatures that have decided to attack the cities of Japan.

Today we said our prayers over the dead bodies of the two police officers who fought it off long enough for the third to shoot it and take it out.

There is only me, Bokuto, Suga, and the younger police man left.

We have no more bullets.

We are running out of food.

~~I think we are going to die.~~

May 26

Suga is gone. We broke in to a house last night to sleep and when we woke up he wasn’t there. His shoes are gone. The policeman said we couldn’t search for him. Bokuto got mad. ~~I grabbed his hand to hide the claws that had sprouted.~~ Bokuto doesn’t know why Suga would leave. I think I do. We found a body yesterday. Suga knew who it was. He said his name was Asahi. He said he was a kind person and a good friend. He said he missed Daichi ~~and that we were near the spot where they had their first kiss~~ I think he went to a place that was special to him.

May 26

We are hiding in a shed in someones backyard. The person who owns this shed is probably dead. Suga is probably dead. My family is most likely dead. We are hiding because we saw 2 wolves walking across the street. I can hear them growling. I think I heard a scream.

I think we are going to die.

My name is Aka

 “Akaashi”

 Bokuto grabbed Akaashi’s hand to stop him from writing. The shed was small so he was leaning against Bokuto’s chest. His other hand was resting on Akaashi’s waist. He could feel the heat of him at his back. It was unnaturally warm; another reminder about Bokuto’s condition. After hearing the news that the creatures were some kind of shifters he tore the bottom of his gym shirt and immediately wrapped it around Bokuto’s arm. He made him swear not to tell a single soul about the bite. Instead they told everyone he cut his arm on the metal edge of the bench when they fell.

Bokuto said he understood why they weren’t telling anyone, but Akaashi could also see that he wanted to talk about it and they couldn’t. Not with everyone so close all the time.  

“‘kaashi?”

He leaned his head back to look at Bokuto. His hair was plastered against his head and there was dirt on his chin. The lack of showers have been annoying, but what was even more annoying was that Bokuto was still very handsome and all he could think about was kis- 

“Hey ‘kaashi its okay, if they come near the shed, I’ll protect you. I think I can control the claw-“

His hand immediately slapped over Bokuto’s mouth and he hoped the glare he gave him deterred him from finishing his sentence. He glanced over at the cop with them, but Hayashi (he told them a few days prior, telling them to stop referring to him as policeman-san) had his ear pressed against the door trying to listen for any noises outside.

Bokuto licked his hand and he shot him a look.

“Bokuto-san I don’t want you to do anything except run if we are attacked”

This was met with silence. “Bokuto-san-“

“I’m not leaving you, Keiji”

He started at his first name. He never expected to hear that pass through Bokuto’s lips. He stared at him until the words spoken registered in his brain.

“Bokuto-san, you will run if we are attacked. I know your… reflexes have been really good lately so use them to protect yourself”

“No.”

“Boku-“

“I said no Keiji.” Claws burst from his fingertips and tore into the skin at his waist. He jerked back a yelp tore out of his mouth and Bokuto swore before jerking his hands back from Akaashi.

“Shut the fuck up” Hayashi glared at them from his spot in front of the shed doors. He had a flashlight in his hands, aimed high, ready to use it in case something found them.

Bokuto leaned down to whisper in his ear, “I’m sorry, Keiji. I didn’t mean to, I swear, are you okay?”

The words were so soft that Akaashi barely heard them, but he felt the heat of Bokuto’s breath on his ear. He felt the the hairs on his arms raise and his heartbeat accelerate. Bokuto’s breath puffed out again as he waited for Akaashi’s reply and he felt the warmth on the side of his face.

“I am fine Bokuto-san. Do not trouble yourself.”

Bokuto smiled and leaned further down so his cheek was pressed against Akaashi’s. He felt Bokuto’s fingers grip his hips and noticed the absence of the claws. “Keij-“

“Oh shit!”

They both glanced up as Hayashi cursed and jumped up to his feet with the flashlight held tightly in both hands in front of him. Thats when they heard the footsteps outside the shed. Akaashi tensed and then yelped in surprise when he was yanked to his feet and spun around. His front was pushed up against the wall of the shed and he felt Bokuto at his back, pressing him further into the wall. He felt the growl rise up in Bokuto’s chest and turned his head to see the other man glaring at the shed door with his lip slightly raised.

Akaashi felt fear course through him. With the way Bokuto’s lip was raised, his teeth were shown. And so were the teeth that had sharpened unnaturally so. Hayashi started to turn at the sound of Bokuto’s growl, and he wasn’t sure what would happen if Hayashi found out Bokuto wasn’t quite so human anymore. Acting on instinct, he turned his body halfway and pushed back enough to loosen his hands that were trapped between his chest and the wall. As soon as they were free he grabbed Bokuto’s chin to turn his head and quickly pressed his lips against the other boys.

He felt Bokuto grow still and the growling stopped. His lips were chapped and dry and it felt sort of strange. The warmth against his lips was foreign, but nice. For a second he forgot where he was and he imagined that he and Bokuto were back home. They had just gotten out of volleyball practice and Akaashi finally worked up the nerve to confess to Bokuto. He would pull him down the short distance and they wouldn’t care about the cruel students who would mock them or his parents who would most definitely not approve. He felt Bokuto’s hands come up to grip his face, and then slide down to the sides of his neck. His thumbs brushed underneath Akaashi’s jaw and their lips parted-

“Really you guys, what the fuck ar-“

The shed doors flung open.

Akaashi jerked back with a gasp and Bokuto turned so his body blocked Akaashi from whatever was out there. Hayashi yelled and all Akaashi could think was that he was glad to have his first kiss with Bokuto before they died.

He pressed himself against Bokuto’s back and gripped the sides of his shirt.

He felt Bokuto tense and then a second later relax.

“HEY HEY HEY! Where’d you guys come from?”

Akaashi looked up at Bokuto’s yell and from the opening of the shed saw a small boy. The light from the fading sun was behind him, shining around him and making him look darker, like a shadow. He stepped around Bokuto to get a better look and immediately recognized him, thanks to his shock of hair which was still bright, even covered with dirt.

“Hinata?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading. Comments and Kudos would be encouraging, since I'm a sweaty, nervous mess about posting these chapters.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's pretty sad that I couldn't even last 4 hours without posting a new chapter... good for the people that like this story, bad for me since this means I'll have to start writing the next part pretty soon.

“Move dumbass, don’t just stand there!”

Hinata was shoved to the side and then Karasuno’s setter was standing at the shed’s opening, holding a kitchen knife in his hand. Hayashi raised an eyebrow at this. “That’s a small knife, kid. You must be pretty confident to go at a werewolf with that”.

Kageyama’s cheeks reddened slightly before his eyebrows scrunched together and his mouth twisted. “My knife is better than your flashlight. What are you going to do, blind it to death?”

“Listen here you little-“

“HEY HEY HEY! No fighting! were all friends here!” Bokuto surged forward as he yelled and grabbed Kageyama in a hug that lifted him off his feet. The knife immediately dropped, but was picked up by a short blonde. She looked vaguely familiar, but Akaashi couldn’t place her. She stood at the very edge of the shed’s opening with a tall boy standing directly behind her. He had freckles and a hair that stood up at the back of his head. Akaashi remembered seeing him on the bench with some other Karasuno players that weren’t in the starting line.

“Bokuto-senpai!”

Akaashi looked back over to see Bokuto rush to Hinata and crush him in a hug. He then proceeded to twirl around, swinging Hinata like a child. His legs followed the twirl and almost kicked Kageyama in the head. “Dumbass! watch where you swing your legs!”

“Kagayema, your vocabulary is astounding, as always.”

The boy turned around to stare at Akaashi.

“Fukurodani’s setter…” Kageyama’s whisper had awe in the tone and his eyes got big.

“Bakayama! the world is ending and you still only care about volleyball?! Be careful or you’re not going to survive!” Kageyama immediately whipped towards Hinata and grabbed his hair with both hands.

“Shut up, dumbass! If I die, then you’ll no doubt follow shortly after!”

During the exchange, Hayashi had wandered over to the other two Karasuno members, and Bokuto walked towards Akaashi. He felt a hand slide into his and Bokuto’s warm skin immediately made his palm start to sweat. He tightened his grip. Bokuto leaned down to whisper in his ear, “Akaashi, about that kiss earlier…”

Akaashi looked over at Bokuto. His eyes seemed happy, which was strange considering their circumstances. “Bokuto-san, why don’t we talk about this when we are in the safety of Sendai? Also do not let yourself be exposed like that again.” He looked hard at him so he understood he was serious. Bokuto flinched and rubbed the back of his neck.

“Sorry ‘Kaashi. I honestly didn’t even realize what I did until you were grabbing my face. My body moved faster than my brain.”

Akaashi sighed. _Saving Bokuto from himself might be a bit harder than I thought._ He looked over at the rest of their group. Kageyama and Hinata had stopped fighting and were talking with the other three. Bokuto pulled Akaashi over to them and greeted the two whose names he couldn’t remember. “”Hey Yachi, Yamanguchi. I’m glad to see you two made it. Have you seen anyone else?”

Yachi shook her head, “when everyone started screaming we all ran out of the gym. I hid in a bush and saw Yamaguchi trip in front of me. I ran over to him and we fled the school. His parents were gone, so we barricaded ourselves in his house. All the phone lines are down and yesterday we finally decided to venture out to get help. We ran into Shoyou and Kageyama and have been wandering around trying to find people.” While she was talking Yachi started to shake. Yamaguchi put his arm around her and pulled her close.

Hayashi cleared his throat, “They’re telling all survivors to go to Sendai, they’ve set up a military unit there to protect the city. That’s where your families will most likely be. C’mon, we should hurry and find a place to settle down for the night before it gets dark. Everyone stay quiet in case those creatures from earlier are still roaming.”

“Creatures from earlier?” Yachi’s eyes widened and she started to shake again. Hinata walked over and grabbed her hand.

“It’s okay Hitoka, we’ll keep you safe!” Hinata’s smile was so bright and innocent that Akaashi had to look away. _Should I tell them about Suga? Maybe eventually when we find the others. No point in bringing it up now._

As soon as the sun rose the next morning they left the house they squatted in. They were only about a days walk from Sendai, which should have been comforting. They should be relieved that in 10 hours they would no longer have to continuously look over their shoulders at the smallest noise, afraid that something had been stalking them and was about to attack. The closer they got however, the quieter everyone became. Akaashi thought that maybe everyone was having the same thoughts as him.

_Sendai is the capital of the Miyagi Prefecture and the second largest city north of Tokyo. If the attacks hit big cities the hardest, then how is it that Sendai is the safest place to go? What if it’s been destroyed like everywhere else we’ve seen? What if this is a trap to gather the rest of the survivors so they can finish us off? What if-_

“Oi, dumbass! What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

Akashi looked up and saw Hinata sitting on Bokuto’s shoulders. They were standing right behind Kageyama. Bokuto had crouched down slightly and was bending forward so Hinata could reach out and grab Kageyama’s hair in both hands.

“HAH! how does it feel being the short one and having _your_ hair pulled Bakayama!”

Hinata’s laugh was cut off as Kageyama whipped around and pulled on his arms, causing him to fall off Bokuto’s shoulders. As they started wrestling, Yachi walked over to get them to stop and Bokuto just stepped to the side, laughing hysterically.

“Get him Hinata! Do what Kenma usually does and bite him in the arm!” Bokuto looked really excited at this and rubbed the arm where Akaashi remembered Kozume biting at the practice match when Bokuto grabbed him for a hug.

“Bokuto-san. Please tell me you did not instigate a fight between those two boys because you wanted someone else to be bit besides you?”

Bokuto froze and slowly turned his body to face Akaashi. He raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms over his chest.

“Akaaaaashi, Kenma only ever bites me! It’s not fair! How come no one else ever gets bitten?!”

Bokuto was lightly jumping on the balls of his feet and flapping his arms against his sides. He looked so ridiculous that Akaashi had to actively keep himself from laughing out loud. _Cute._

He looked back over to see Hayashi and Yachi pulling the two boys away from each other and Yamaguchi standing off to the side with his hand over his mouth, probably to hide the fact that he was smiling at the display.

“Okay, enough! We’re only a few hours away! Let’s not attract attention and die right before we reach the city.”

At Hayashi’s words, everyone calmed down and slowly started forward again. Akaashi felt Bokuto come up next to him, and he turned his head to see Bokuto itching the dirty wrap that was tied to his right arm.

“How is the bite? We will need to change the bandage soon. We’ll be lucky if it’s not already infected.” Akaashi made sure his voice was quiet enough that only Bokuto heard him. They slowed their pace slightly, so the others were about 5 feet ahead of them.

“It doesn’t hurt.”

From the way Bokuto refused to meet his eyes, he thought that might have been a lie.

“Hey ‘kaashi, bet you’re excited for us to shower when we get to Sendai, huh? We smell almost as bad as the locker room after a day full of practice matches.”

He sent a small smile towards Bokuto. No one knew how good the creatures senses were and everyone had been too scared the past few days to shower in whatever house they found. As if spraying water would somehow attract an army of creatures that would tear them apart. They had all silently agreed that they would be okay with waiting until they were in the safety of the city. 

“Yes, Bokuto-san. You do have quite an atrocious smell right now.” Akaashi turned his chin so Bokuto couldn’t see his smirk. He heard him scoff and then boast about how his sweat smelled like roses and and they should all be lucky he doesn’t have horrible body odor like Hayashi. He was in the middle of explaining to Akaashi how he doesn’t even need deodorant because he’s that awesome when they noticed everyone in front of them had come to a complete stop.

Bokuto reached out to grab Akaashi’s wrist and lightly pulled him, so that he was standing halfway behind Bokuto.

“What’s going on?”

They were all watching Hayashi, who had his hand out for everyone to stop. He replied to Hinata’s question after 10 seconds of silence, “I saw something move at the intersection. When I looked up it ducked behind the building on the right.”

They were currently standing in the middle of the street, with buildings on either side of them. There were a couple shops at the intersection 30 feet in front of them. They hadn’t seen anything all day and the dead bodies were becoming less and less frequent. It was probably because they were close to Sendai so everyone here had been evacuated but it made the hairs on Akaashi’s arm rise. _Maybe they’re waiting outside the city to ambush anyone trying to get in. There are alleys behind all these buildings, if there is more than one they can surround us._

“We can't just stand here all day. If it really is one of those werewolf things then we’re most likely already dead since we only have a flashlight and some knives we took from the houses we stayed in.” Kageyama was right, of course. They would likely die if they were attacked. That doesn’t mean anyone wanted to be the first to step forward.

They were all staring at the right of the intersection where a corner store blocked whatever was waiting for them. About 35 seconds of intense anxiety passed when Akaashi heard a light sound behind him. It sounded like a shoe slowly crunching down on gravel. He pushed Bokuto into Hinata and spun around to face whoever was behind them. He raised a small steak knife he had been carrying in his volleyball jacket… and then froze.

A man stood behind him. Around the same height as Akaashi with short black hair. He also went still, the bat he was holding stationary above his head in a swinging position.

Akaashi heard a shuffle behind him and then someone screamed. Akaashi spun quickly to find Hinata, who was letting out a high pitched yell, pointing at the man behind Akaashi. Kageyama quickly slapped his hand over Hinatas mouth. “Idiot! Shut up! Why are you yelling?!”

Hinatas eyes got really big, “I can’t believe you’re alive! I mean of course you’re alive! you’re terrifying!”

Akaashi heard the man behind him snort and he turned back around. “Who are you?”

“I~w~a~c~h~a~n. Stop befriending strangers. For all we know, they could be cannibals.”

Another man stepped out from behind the building and slung his arm around the first. He was tall with light brown hair and a smug smile on his face. He wiggled his fingers at Akaashi.

“Ya~hoo”

Hinata gasped. “The Grand King!”

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments? Kudos? I'll take any kind of encouragement to continue. I might even throw in some fluff. Maybe smut? I might save that for the next part in this series.   
> I was going to say something cool, like - see ya next week with the fourth chapter, ya filthy animals.  
> But I'm not cool and if I'm being 100% honest, I'll be back in 12 hours with the fourth chapter.


	4. Chapter 4

They sat in the abandoned corner store. There were random cans of food scattered throughout, but other than that it had been cleared out pretty well. Since they were so close to the city, Akaashi assumed the military sent out units to scavenge for food and supplies; they’ll need as much as they can if they’re planning on barricading the survivors in the city.

After Iwaizumi and Oikawa had introduced themselves to him and Bokuto, Iwaizumi informed them that they were with a couple others they found hiding in a house a few days ago. Apparently they had heard a message on the radio, telling everyone to head to Sendai for safety. As Iwaizumi was telling his side of the events from the day of the attack, Akaashi noticed that Oikawa had wandered past their group and towards the intersection.

“Bed head, short stuff, come on out. I promise if they end up being crazy and try to kill and eat us, we’ll give them Iwa-chan and make a run for it.” He turned, shooting Iwaizumi a wink and poking his tongue out. Akaashi turned back to Iwaizumi as he rolled his eyes and continued talking to the rest of their group.

He noticed that Bokuto continued to look at the direction Oikawa was talking to. Then he saw the smile on Bokuto’s face.

“YES! I should’ve known you guys would survive! Kenma’s like a cockroach! He’ll never die!” Bokuto ran to the two figures who stepped out from behind the store. He grabbed Kuroo in a hug, and Akaashi saw Kuroo’s arms flex as he squeezed Bokuto. He approached them as Bokuto let go and turned to Kenma. He froze with his arms outstretched and then slowly took a step back and held out a hand for a high five. Kenma allowed him that and Bokuto shouted as he threw up fists and widened his stance in a victory pose.

“Hey hey hey! I knew you missed me! All those times you hissed at me for trying to hug you, but I bet you secretly liked it, didn’t you?!” Bokuto was swaying from side to side as he talked, bouncing slightly, and Akaashi hurried his pace. He grabbed Bokuto’s hand to calm him down before Kenma tried to claw him again like the year before, when Bokuto wouldn’t stop hassling him for another practice match.

“Bokuto-san, why don’t we get the others and all sit in one of these stores? We can discuss what happened to us and make proper introductions.” Akaashi had already started walking backwards as he talked, tugging Bokuto to get him to follow.

This was how they ended up sitting in a circle exchanging stories. Bokuto was sitting so close to him that his left knee and thigh were pressed against Akaashi’s right. He also still had possession of Akaashi’s hand. Bokuto had his left arm stretched out so their hands were in Akaashi’s lap, and he could feel Bokuto’s thumb move along his knuckles.

“When we saw the wolf tackle Tanaka, I started to panic. Almost everyone else had started to run at that point, but the wolf was near the door and I couldn’t make myself go past it, so Tsukki threw a volleyball as hard as he could at one of the lower windows and we climbed out that way.” Yamaguchi was looking at his lap as he spoke. Akaashi knew that Tsukishima was close with him and he hoped the story didn’t end how he thought it was going to. “We hid out in the club room for a few hours. We thought maybe some of the other teammates might go there too. I know Daichi…. I know he died. I remember the blood, but I thought maybe Suga would check to see if anyone else was hiding. No one came so we ventured out. It was really quiet and there were a lot of bodies. We figured the animals had already left so we split up to see if we could find anyone still hiding in the school. I met up with Hitoka but couldn’t find anyone else. We went to the part of the school Tsukki was searching, but he wasn’t there. We stayed for another hour but it was already getting pretty dark. I lived close by so we went there…Tsukki knows where I live so I knew he would go there to look for me. But he never came and eventually we decided to leave… I don’t know what happened to him or where he is.”

Akaashi saw him start to cry and respectfully looked away. He turned towards Bokuto and saw fat tears running down his face. _I have a bad feeling._

“Not your best friend! That is so sad! Isn’t that awful Akaashi?! Don’t worry little man, I’ll help you find Tsukki!” _Damnit, Bokuto. Why must you be a pain in my ass._ “We’ll look together! We can head back to the school if you want! Or if you’re frightened, I can head back alone and leave some kind of message for him?!”

Akaashi shook his head. “No, that will not be happening. We will be going into Sendai and we’ll tell the soldiers there that there might survivors.”

Bokuto looked like he was going to protest, so Akaashi pinched the hand he still had in his lap.

“OW! okay, okay.” Bokuto looked dejected, but didn’t pull his hand away.

He looked over and saw Kuroo giving him a thumbs up. Kozume was leaning against his side, playing with a Rubik’s cube. Hinata was sitting next to Kozume, watching him try to match up the correct colors, with Kageyama on his other side.

Hayashi turned to stare at Kuroo expectantly. When the silence continued, he sighed. “This is the part where you tell us your story.”

Kuroo raised an eyebrow. “Not much to tell… I didn’t see Bokuto right away so I panicked and grabbed Kenma. We hid out until we saw Iwa-chan an-“

“Don’t call me that.”

“As I was saying, we met Oikawa and _Iwa~chan_ a couple days after the attack.” Iwaizumi rolled his eyes at the nickname and stood up.

“This is stupid. We’re close to Sendai and rehashing the events of that day isn’t going to change anything. Let’s gather some supplies from the stores around us and leave.” Iwaizumi bent down to grab Oikawa’s hand and yanked him to his feet. “C’mon Shittykawa, you’re coming with me.”

“Iwa-chan, are you trying to get me alone to take advantage of me?! Because you should know I demand dinner first-“ He cut off as Iwaizumi let go of his hand and slapped the back of his head.

“Never mind, you’re an idiot. I’ll partner up with him.” He nodded to Hayashi and motioned for the man to follow him out of the store.

“Iwa-chan wait! Don’t leave me all alone and defenseless! My beautiful body isn’t meant for fighting!”

Oikawa ran out after them and Akaashi turned to the others. “Okay, well Bokuto and I are going to check out the gas station across the street.”

He pulled Bokuto to his feet and they walked away. He heard Yachi asking if they wanted to go with her to the clothing store a couple buildings down, but their responses were lost as they walked out of the corner store and across the street. They walked into the gas station cautiously; a lot of the snacks had already been cleared out, but that wasn’t the reason Akaashi wanted to bring Bokuto here. He pulled Bokuto to the corner of the gas station where they were mostly blocked by the empty shelves. He leaned against the wall and tugged on the strip of clothing tied on Bokuto’s arm.

“Let me see the bite Bokuto-san.”

Bokuto just stared at him and then slowly shook his head.

“Don’t worry about it Akaashi, I already checked and it’s fine.”

Akaashi opened his mouth to argue, but Bokuto cut him off.

“What I do want to talk about, though, is what happened in the shed.”

Akaashi stared at him to see if he was joking. “Bokuto-san, now is definitely not the time. We are close to Sendai, why don’t we wait until we are safe within the city?”

“You don’t know if it’s safe there Akaashi! No one knows what’s going to happen. For all we know we’re going to be ambushed by wolves or raiders and will die a very slow and painful death!”

Bokuto crossed his arms over his chest and narrowed his eyes at Akaashi. He could tell Bokuto would be quite difficult the rest of the day if he refused to talk about what happened, which could lead to complications if something were to occur. He let out a very long sigh to delay the words that were about to come out of his mouth.

_Okay. Just say it. It’s no big deal. He reacted positively to the kiss. He probably feels the same way about you. Just do it. Don’t overthink it. Just-_

His thoughts came to an immediate halt when he felt hands grab his cheeks and warm lips on his.

His eyes widened and Bokuto lifted his face just a little. “Hey ‘kaashi, has anyone ever told you that you think too much?”

The corner of Akaashi’s mouth lifted. He wasn’t great with words and he knew if he tried to tell Bokuto how he felt he would end up talking in circles so, instead, he decided to show him just how much he meant to Akaashi.

He ran his hands up Bokuto’s chest and around his shoulders to stop at the back of his head. His eyes dropped to Bokuto’s lips and he felt his heart rate accelerate. He brought Bokuto’s head down just enough to press his lips back to his own. He felt the warmth of the other man’s hands on his cheeks leave as he dragged them down to grip Akaashi’s waist.

Their lips parted and Akaashi felt Bokuto’s tongue swipe across his lower lip. The hands that were at his waist suddenly moved behind him to grab the back of his thighs, under his ass. Bokuto tightened his grip and then lifted him up. Akaashi immediately wrapped his legs around Bokuto’s waist and crossed his ankles. His back hit the wall and Bokuto leaned into him, deepening the kiss. Akaashi had to break away after a couple minutes to breathe. He leaned his head back to rest against the wall as he was gasping for breath. Bokuto’s lips trailed down his neck.

“Keiji…” One of Bokuto’s had slipped up under his shirt to press against his lower spine. The heat of the other man’s body pressed against him caused goosebumps to break out along his arms. His other hand moved from the back of his thigh to his ass and squeezed, pushing his body even closer. Bokuto rolled his hips against Akaashi’s and a moan slipped out of his mouth. He tilted his head back down to continue the kiss. His tongue slipped into Bokuto’s mouth when a voice interrupted them.

“Well, hot damn. Get it Bo. Make sure you wrap it up though, teen pregnancies are always a bit awkward to explain. Plus Kenma’s a horrible babysitter.”

Bokuto’s head jerked back at the sound of Kuroo’s voice, and Akaashi looked towards the front of the store where Kuroo and Kozume were standing. Kozume was focused on his Rubik’s cube but every couple seconds his eyes would flicker to where Akaashi and Bokuto were still pressed against the wall. Kuroo had his hands in his pockets and was smirking at them.

“Very funny Karoo-san. Although perhaps you would like to retake sex ed? I would hate for you to have to worry about getting Kozume pregnant every time you run out of condoms.”

Bokuto snorted out a laugh and released his grip on Akaashi. He lowered his feet and moved a couple steps away from Bokuto to clear his thoughts. Kuroo had turned bright red and Kozume walked away to sit against the wall, gaze focusing solely on his toy. “Please keep me out of this conversation.”

Bokuto closed the distance between him and Akaashi and grabbed his left hand, linking their fingers. He quickly leaned down and pressed a chaste kiss to Akaashi’s lips before turning back to Kuroo. Akaashi was so shocked by that, he barely processed any of the words coming out of Bokuto’s mouth.

“Kuroo, bud, I think you’re just jealous that I have a boyfriend I can kiss anytime I want.” 

Kuroo raised an eyebrow, “Ohoho, locking him down during the end of days? Smart bro. Hey Kitten, wanna go make out before we all die?”

Kuroo turned to Kozume and wiggled his eyebrows, but the other boy didn’t even look up, just turned his body completely so he was facing the wall.

“Ehh, another time then.” Kuroo looked back at Bokuto and his eyes dropped to his right arm. Specifically, the dirty cloth tied to it. _Shit._

“Bo, what happened? You okay?” Kuroo stepped forward and reached out to touch Bokuto’s arm, but Akaashi quickly stepped in front of him.

“Bokuto-san is fine. Please don’t concern yourselves. Why don’t we find the others now.” He jerked his chin towards the exit doors of the gas station, but his eyes never left Kuroo’s. He saw the other man’s gaze narrow.

“What’s going on?”

“‘Kaashi, Kuroo is one of my best friends. Why don’t we tell him what happened?”

“Absolutely not.”

“Tell me what?”

Akaashi and Kuroo spoke at the same time, and he felt Bokuto move from behind him to stand by his side. He knew Bokuto was going to show Kuroo, no matter what he said. And yes, he was close to Kuroo, but that didn’t mean Kuroo wouldn’t freak out and attack or tell the others. Akaashi gripped the kitchen knife he still kept in his pocket, and kept his eyes on Kuroo, looking for any sign of aggression.

He heard the rustling of cloth, and assumed Bokuto was removing the strip of clothing to reveal the bite mark. He saw Kuroo’s eyes widen and vaguely noticed that Kozume had come to stand beside them.

“Holy shit, is that a bite mark?! Are you okay?” Kuroo took a step forward. Akaashi tensed and Kozume’s hand shot out to grab Kuroo’s arm.

“Don’t go near him Kuro.”

“What, why?”

Kozume looked at Akaashi, and he saw something in Kozume’s eyes that made his blood run cold.

“Has he fully shifted yet?”

“Shifted? What are you talking about? Someone tell me what is going on, right now.” Kuroo kept looking at all of them before settling his eyes on Kozume.

“Bites are contagious Kuro. Bokuto is no longer human.”

 

 


	5. Chapter 5

“How long must I be kept here?”

Akaashi sat in a room with no furniture. He assumed it had been previously used for office meetings. For almost a full day he remained seated on the floor of the empty room. He never thought he would crave the loud voice and consuming energy of Bokuto. He used to love being alone and prided himself on not needing anyone. And yet, as he sat in solitude, his hatred for the silence that encompassed him continued to grow. He wanted to pace around the room, but forced himself to sit with his back against the wall and his knees pulled to his chest. He was tapping his fingers on his knee cap when someone walked through the door. It was an older man and Akaashi could see the gun strapped to his hip.

The man ignored his question and looked around the room.

“Can I ask about my friends?”

The man looked at him and nodded. “They’re all okay, they were taken to rooms similar to yours.”

Akaashi looked down to hide the relief on his face. When they reached Sendai, they were separated and told they would be questioned for security reasons. He stomach had twisted when they walked him away from Bokuto. He had seen the other boy’s eyes flash and knew that he was going to do something that would get him killed. He had yelled out to Bokuto that he was fine and everything would be okay as long as he remained very calm. He knew Bokuto understood and he saw him take deep breaths as they shut the door to the room he was being kept in, cutting off his view. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Bokuto to keep himself alive; Bokuto wasn’t dumb, but he does get… emotional. Knowing that nothing had gone wrong on his end filled him with such relief that he couldn’t hide the smile that was forming on his lips.

The man cleared his throat. “Listen, we’re sorry to do this to you kids, but thousands of people have already been reported dead and we’re still finding bodies to add to that list. Sendai is the safest place north of Tokyo at the moment and we can’t risk an attack from the inside.”

“I understand.”

“Good. I hope you won’t be too bothered by this then.”

Akaashi looked up as the man removed a taser from his belt.

“From what we know, strong emotions are a trigger for the shifters. A bit of pain will let us know if you’re as human as you say.”

His body went cold. He couldn’t feel his hands and his thoughts wouldn’t stop blaring in his head. They were going to do this to Bokuto. There was no way he would be able to hide the changes that would happen when he was tased. They were going to kill him. Akaashi would never get to see him again, or hold him, or tell him that he was amazing and see his eyes light up.

“I know this seems scary, but it’ll only hurt for a few minutes and then you’ll be released and get to see your friends.”

Akaashi stared at him. “My friends? They’re waiting? All of them?”

“Yup. You’re the last one. That’s why it took so long-“

He stopped talking as Akaashi stood and practically ran over to him.

“Okay, do it. Now.”

The man raised both his eyebrows, but nodded and aimed the taser.

“Okay, deep breaths.”

Akaashi closed his eyes and braced himself. The pain was immediate and Akaashi fell to his knees. He hunched over with his forehead against the floor and then he felt a hand in his hair, yanking his head up. The man stared into his eyes and then looked at his hands.

“Open your mouth.”

Akaashi did as he was told, and the man let him go, nodding as he stood.

“Well then, let’s go find your friends.”

The man held out his hand to help Akaashi up off the floor. It took him a few seconds to collect himself and then they were leaving the room and walking down the hallway to a pair of doors. On the other side he saw a bunch of chairs and tables where the rest of his group was sitting. He scanned his eyes over them and then searched the room when he didn’t see who he was looking for. His gaze stopped on a man pacing the room and biting his nails.

“Bokuto-san, please stop biting your nails. That is a bad habit.”

Bokuto’s head turned towards him, and then before he had time to react he was in his arms, being swung around with a loud voice practically shouting in his ear.

“Akaashi! Are you okay?! Did it hurt terribly?! I asked if I could hold your hand, but they wouldn’t let me in the room.”

Bokuto had stopped twirling them and was now just holding Akaashi tightly to his chest. He brought one of his hands up to pat Bokuto’s shoulder and used the other to gently push his chest.

“Bokuto-san, I am fine.”

He leaned back and when Bokuto seemed a little dejected at not being able to hug him anymore, he couldn’t help but lean froward and lightly kiss the corner of his mouth.

“Why don’t you guys have a seat, so we can explain the situation in Sendai?”

Akaashi nodded and they took a seat next to Kuroo and Kozume. He was still a little worried about them revealing Bokuto’s secret. They had been interrupted in the gas station by Iwaizumi, saying there were some policemen who found them and were waiting to take them to Sendai. Apparently, the men were heading back to the city from a scouting trip and saw some of their group. They all squished themselves into the SUV and were driven to a plain building. There were cars piled high beside it and Akaashi saw the wall of cars stretch around other buildings and start to circle. Most likely they were being used as a temporary wall of protection. When the SUV stopped in front of the building, they were escorted inside and were promptly separated for security.

“We don’t have full control of Sendai,” Akaashi was interrupted from his thoughts by the voice of the man who tased him, “It’s a big city and we’re working on getting full control, however every day we run into a shifter or two. They’re slowly killing off our units, which is why we are working on blocking off this section of the city and then will focus on expanding. We have a lot of survivors here, so in the next few days we can help you locate your families. However, as a result of most military units being killed off, we are in desperate need of soldiers to protect this area. By order of the government, anyone above the age of fourteen is being drafted to help fight.”

Yachi let out a squeak and then covered her mouth with her hands. The man paused to look at her and then continued.

“We know that some men and women are not cut out for fighting so we are giving those who qualify a few options. Everyone in the city above the age of fourteen will be sent to the boarding school a few blocks down. This is where you will be living and training. In the morning you will have classes that focus on the layout of the city, the knowledge we have of the shifters, how to use and dissemble a gun, and so on. In the afternoon, you will be practicing. Fighting skills, shooting, stuff like that. We think it will work better if you are in groups you’re used to, which is why we kept you guys together. If you would like, you have the option to stick with your friends and your assigned dorms will be close by. You’ll have similar training times and you’ll be in the same classes as well. When you graduate from this school, you will be able to choose the following: First option, form a unit and become scouters. You will be venturing out into the city to do recon, gather supplies, look for survivors and fight the shifters on the outside. Second option, pick your unit and stay in protection. This involves walking the perimeter and making sure the city is safe, checking directly outside the city, operating a rescue mission if a scouter is in trouble, and helping with expanding the safe zone to recapture the rest of the city. Third option, becoming a city soldier. This is the safest of the three and what we assume many of the younger candidates will choose. You will be helping build the barricade at the edge of the city, help to relocate those who seek shelter here, fix the housing that was destroyed and keep the city safe from itself.”

Yachi and Yamaguchi relaxed a little at this third option and Akaashi couldn’t blame them. They didn’t seem like the type to charge headfirst into a war zone.

The man looked at Hayashi. “You were a policeman right? We’ll let you choose now what you want to do.”

“I want to be a scouter… but…” Hayashi looked over at Bokuto and Akaashi, and then the rest. His eyes lingered on Hinata and Yachi, who were the smallest of their group. “I would like to escort them to the school and make sure they’re settled. If that is alright?”

The man nodded. “Of course, once we have them settled in I’ll take you to the commander of the southern scouting unit.”

Akaashi was kind of surprised Hayashi wanted to accompany them, but with all they’ve been through together this past week, he found himself reluctant to part from the man as well.

They were taken to a locker room that had community showers.

“We stocked up these lockers with our latest run. There’s a ziplock bag with a toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, and all the other goodies you need to get clean. We have a bunch of extra clothes… mainly scrubs from the local hospital. When you’re done getting clean, you can keep the bag you use and pick out a new set of clothes.”

They took their time showering. It felt like it took forever for Akaashi to scrub off eight days worth of filth, and toothpaste had never felt so good on his teeth. Since he was leaner, it was pretty easy to find clothes that fit him. He found black running shorts that ended mid thigh and a dark blue t-shirt that was slightly baggy. He turned to find Bokuto in sweats, digging through a pile of shirts to find one that would fit him. Akaashi looked away before he was caught staring at the way Bokuto’s back muscles moved. Everyone was pretty much done showering and were changing into their new clothes. His eyes stopped on Kozume, and he had to cover his mouth to hide his smile.

Kozume noticed and narrowed his eyes. “Don’t say a word.”

Apparently Hinata took the last pair of pants for their height range, and Kozume was currently wearing a baggy sweatshirt over a very long floral skirt, that was the type to flare out if you twirl around. He had put his hair into a messy half bun and looked kind of adorable. He also looked younger than Hinata at the moment, which Kuroo found hilarious. 

“You know Kitten, you look dazzling right now. I think you should only wear skirts from now on. Tell me, what kind of underwear do you wear with something like this, hmm?” He was starting to lift the back of Kozume’s skirt when the smaller man turned sharply and flicked his forehead. “Go away, Kuro.”

“I~w~a~c~h~a~n, you should wear a skirt too! You’re so short though, we would probably have to roll the waist a whole bunch!”

“I’m only, like, 5 centimeters shorter than you, Shittykawa!” 

Oikawa yelped and ducked as Iwaizumi threw his shoe at him. “Iwa-chan! Not the face!”

Akaashi could feel a migraine forming as he watched Iwaizumi fight with Oikawa, and Kuroo tug on Kozume’s skirt. He knew those two pairs were going to get along nicely. He looked over and found Hinata and Kageyama talking quietly. _I haven’t heard them argue in a while. That’s a bit surprising._

Suddenly Kageyama had a handful of Hinata’s hair in both hands and was pulling it tight. Hinata grabbed at his wrists, “OW! Bakayama! You butthead, it’s true! They probably won’t have volleyball at the school!” 

_Ahh, there it is._

The door behind Akaashi opened and they all turned to see the man from before standing there. 

“Well, it looks like everyone is ready. Follow me. I should also probably introduce myself now. My name is Saito Tora and I’m in charge of the citizens who come here.”

They followed Saito down another hallway and out through the double doors. This lead them outside where they saw houses, shops, stands with food and clothing, and _people_. 

The streets were crowded with kids running around and playing and adults talking and gathering groceries. It felt surreal after the days of tense silence and bodies littering the streets.

“We only have a quarter of the city contained, but it’s a start. Welcome to Sendai.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter for part one!  
> Thank you for those who have read and enjoyed this story. It was the first fanfic I wrote, and it's been super fun!

 

It felt nice to be surrounded by noise. They spent the past eight days scared shitless of any sudden sound or movement. It felt almost unnatural to hear the laughter and conversations that were overlapping each other as they walked down the street. They were being led to the boarding school, which was a ten minute walk, towards the edge of the safe zone. Akaashi noticed that while most of the people had taken over the homes and apartments that had been here, there were many tents set up along the sidewalk and in the grassy areas.

“One of the reasons we’re trying to recapture the city so quickly is because we keep getting large numbers of survivors and we no longer have empty living quarters.”

This was said by one of the guards who were escorting them to the school.

“When can we try to find our parents?” Hinata bounded forward a bit as he asked the question and Kageyama yanked him back, saying something about personal space.

“Once we reach the school, the guards there will assign you rooms and classes and ‘register’ you. They’ll take your information and look for any other survivors with the same family name. From there, they will contact them and if they are relatives they will be able to visit you when it is permitted.”

Akaashi wondered how everything was going to play out once they were done with training. There was no way Bokuto was going to be satisfied just being a city police. He would want to be out there searching for people or fighting. And if he was fighting, then so was Akaashi. They were probably going to die, but he had resigned himself to that fate after the first day of the attack.

“I hope we see everyone else! I’m sad we got separated! Do you think Suga and Noya are alright? And Asahi! He’s probably with Noya.” Hinatas voice reached Akaashi’s ears and his blood ran cold.

Hayashi, who had been talking to one of the guards, turned his attention to Hinata. “Suga? Does he have gray hair…?”

Hayashi looked over at Akaashi, who slowed his pace and sighed.. He reached out to tug Hinata to a stop and gestured for the other Karasuno players to come closer.

“I’m really sorry… I should have said something sooner but I didn’t want you to be sad or scared… Suga…” Akaashi wasn’t sure how to finish that sentence. Yachi’s eyes had widened and Hinata just stared, like he wasn’t really listening to him. He felt a hand squeeze his shoulder, and the heat of Bokuto at his side comforted him enough to continue. “We found Asahi’s body a couple days back and Suga disappeared right after. We didn’t see him after that, but we know there were some shifters still left in the city so it’s possible he… he is probably…” His voice faded as tears rolled down Hinata’s cheeks. Yachi stood in the middle of Hinata and Yamaguchi, holding their hands tightly. Kageyama had his head down, hiding his face.

Akaashi felt like the worst person in the world. He didn’t realize how heavy his heart would feel when he told them about their friends. But then he remembered the look on Suga’s face as he looked down at the torn body of Daichi, the hollow sound of his voice when they stumbled upon Asahi a few days later, and the empty look in his eyes the night before he left. It started raining, which shocked him out of his spiraling thoughts. He looked up, but the sky was bright and there were no clouds in sight. He brought his hand to his face and realized that he was crying.

 _But I don’t cry?_

He stared at his wet hand until he felt Bokuto wrap his arm around Akaashi’s waist and pull him into a hug. He turned his face into Bokuto’s shoulder and tried to ignore the sobs coming from the direction of the Karasuno players. He looked over and saw Oikawa leaning down to whisper in Iwaizumi’s ear. The latter had a serious look in his eyes as he stared at Hinata and Kageyama. Then he shook his head and started walking forward again. The rest slowly followed and he felt Bokuto grab his hand to slow his pace. He looked over, but Bokuto wasn’t looking at him. He was talking to Kuroo who had a hand on Kozume’s back to guide him as he was walking. Kozume’s attention was on his toy and Akaashi wasn’t even sure if he heard the conversations that just played out. Since Bokuto didn’t need anything, Akaashi tried to gently pull his hand away to catch up with the rest of their group, but the grip on his hand tightened. Bokuto continued his conversation Kuroo, and Akaashi stayed beside them.

 

 

 

“Akaaaaaashi! These rooms are so nice! Isn’t this amazing! Whoa! Look at the view from the window!” Bokuto had his face pressed up against the glass of the window in their dorm room and Akaashi shook his head. He set his gym bag down on the floor and then sat on the bed furthest from the window. After they arrived at the school, four guards assigned them rooms and told them that the people on their floor would be their classmates and training partners. Everyone chose to remain together, which was a relief. Even though he had just met Oikawa and Iwaizumi, he was reluctant to lose any form of friendship. Hayashi had stayed with them until they reached the school, and said he would come back and check in on them.

The school was incredibly fancy, and they were on the sixth floor with forty other people occupying the twenty rooms that continued down the long hallway. There was a communal bathroom, but it was spacious, and after their trek, Akaashi was just grateful to have a place to wash his body. The rooms were small, but it was their own space and they were provided with their own mattresses and dressers. Not that they had any clothes with them currently, but they were told that scouts continuously brought supplies so they would be able to pick out four outfits that they could keep. Akaashi laid down and felt his muscles relax into the mattress. He was almost asleep when he felt the bed dip a little and then a hand was turning him so he was on his side. Bokuto pressed his chest against Akaashi’s back and threw his arm over his waist, pressing his palm against Akaashi’s stomach. He felt lips lightly brush his shoulder and then Bokuto wiggled his hips a bit to get comfortable. Within two minutes he was snoring lightly and Akaashi just laid there, wondering if he was dreaming.

He remembered back at the gas station, when Bokuto told Kuroo that Akaashi was his boyfriend. At the time, he thought maybe he just didn’t want Kuroo to tease them.

_So, we’re dating for real? We must be, because this is what couples do. They fall asleep with each other and hold hands and make out and-_

He forced his brain to shut off as his face grew incredibly warm. He counted sheep, but it was no use. His brain kept conjuring images of him and Bokuto in bed, of them completely naked and Bokuto kissing his way down Akaashi’s chest. He cursed out loud as he felt himself get hard. Bokuto shifted behind him and Akaashi’s hand slapped over his mouth. The last thing he needed was for Bokuto to wake up while he was thinking about him naked. Bokuto stilled and after a couple minutes he let himself relax. He closed his eyes and imagined the sheep again.

_100, 99, 98 , 97, 96 …_

 

 

 

Akaashi rolled over and stretched out his hand but all he felt were the sheets on the bed. Frowning, he sat up and rubbed his eyes. He brought his brought his arms up over his head as he stretched out his back and looked over to find Bokuto doing push ups on the floor.

“Bokuto-san, why are you working out right now? It probably isn’t good for you since we haven’t been able to eat a lot of food the past week.”

Bokuto paused with his arms straight, and then slowly lowered himself to lay flat on the floor. He immediately started tapping his fingertips against the wood.

“I woke up with a lot of energy… I feel like I need to move or my body will explode. I feel really hot all over and…” His voice trailed off as Akaashi got up from where he was sitting and kneeled in front of the other man. He put the back of his hand to Bokuto’s forehead and then his cheek. He looked into eyes that were seemed impossibly bright. He felt like he needed sunglasses just looking at him. That was when he realized…

“Bokuto-san, did you know your eyes are glowing?”

Bokuto’s eyes widened and he jumped up and rushed over to turn off the lights. The sun had gone down while they were sleeping, so with the lights off Akaashi couldn’t even see his hand in front of his face. What he could see, however, were two glowing, golden circles six feet in front of him.

“Holy shit, Keiji! I can see in the dark! Like completely!”

“Bokuto-san, please turn the lights back on.”

Bokuto did as he asked, and walked over to where Akaashi stood, biting his lip.

“This is bad Bokuto-san. Glowing eyes are a lot harder to hide than sharp teeth or claws…” Akaashi looked around the room and then moved took a few steps back, “I want you to try something for me please. Kozume asked the other day if you’ve fully shifted.. I want you to try. Right now.”

 

 

 

Ten minutes later and Bokuto was on all fours while Akaashi was laying on the bed, his arms crossed under his head. He didn’t know why he thought it would be easy for Bokuto to transform into an animal. In the past ten minutes, all Bokuto has done is get more and more depressed.

“I’m a failure at this! Nothing is happening. Nothing is ever going to happen. Don’t look at me!” Bokuto lowered his head to the floor and put his hands over his ears.

Akaashi sighed and looked at the ceiling.

“Okay then, Bokuto-san. If you really don’t want me to look at you, I won’t.”

He sensed Bokuto raising his head and felt his eyes glued to the side of Akaashi’s face. He kept his gaze trained on the ceiling as he continued, “Although, you did get your claws to grow and you can see in the dark, so obviously you have a lot of cool abilities. I bet Kuroo would be really jealous if you could transform fully into an animal, and if that means I can look at you again, it would make me very happy…” Akaashi heard a tearing sound, but didn’t look over. He didn’t want to distract Bokuto if something was finally happening. A popping sound reached his ears and then it was silent. He turned his head, and came face to face with a polar bear. A _big_ polar bear.

_Holy shit. Holy shit. Holy shit._

It was sitting like a dog, with it’s tongue sticking out of it’s mouth. Akaashi wasn’t sure what to do. He should’ve thought this through, but Bokuto has a way of distracting his thoughts.

 _Does Bokuto retain full awareness like this?_ Akaashi didn’t have anything to defend himself, so if the bear attacked, then he was dead.

It tilted its head and slowly swayed from side to side, bouncing slightly. It was such a Bokuto thing to do, that Akaashi felt intense guilt at thinking he was going to attack him. He sat up and moved to the edge of the bed.

In this form Bokuto took up almost all the space in the room. His backside was pressing against the other bed and he was hunched over slightly, so his head was about the same height as Akaashi’s. He stopped moving and stared. Akaashi held out his hand brushed his fingers through Bokuto’s fur. It was unbelievingly soft.

“Koutarou… you are breathtakingly beautiful.” He leaned forward and put his forehead against Bokuto’s fur. A polar bear fit Bokuto perfectly, but it was slightly confusing… A wolf had attacked them, so one would think a wolf is what Bokuto would be.

_Just one more thing we don’t know about them._

Akaashi went to wrap his arms around Bokuto, but found the polar bear much smaller than he originally thought. The fur seemed shorter and courser and then a second later, he was touching skin. His eyes flew open and found a naked Bokuto, practically sitting in his lap.

“Uh..” For the first time in his life, Akaashi was completely speechless. He forced himself to keep his eyes on Bokuto’s face.

“Ah, sorry Keiji. When I heard my first name my body reacted and I started shifting back unconsciously.” Bokuto’s cheeks are getting more red as the seconds past and he rubbed the back of his neck.

Akaashi smiled as he leaned forward and pressed his lips to Bokuto’s. He leaned back and stood, grabbing the other man’s hand and pulling him to his feet as well.

He led him over to one of the beds and laid down.

“Lets sleep some more Koutarou, I feel like I need another fifteen hours to catch up.”

Bokuto crawled in behind him and wrapped an arm around his waist, pulling his back against Bokuto’s chest. 

He was a second away from sleep when he heard Bokuto’s voice.

“It doesn’t feel real, Keiji. What are the guards going to do when they find out I’m not totally human?”

Akaashi rolled over and shifted so his chest brushed Bokuto’s. He leaned his head back slightly so he could look him in the eyes. 

“Don’t worry Bokuto-san, I won’t let anything happen to you. Stay close to me okay? Or Kuroo and Kozume if I’m not around. Don’t tell anyone else about this though.”

Bokuto still had his arm around Akaashi, and he readjusted his body so his forehead was pressed against Bokuto’s clavicle. Waking up to a naked Bokuto was going to get him into a lot of trouble in the morning, but since his clothes ripped during the change there wasn’t much they could do. Explaining the lack of clothes was going to be hard.

He heard the footsteps walking down the hallway, but didn’t give it much thought until they stopped right outside their door. A knock sounded on their door a few seconds later. Bokuto tensed and sat up. Akaashi sighed and knew that if it was Kuroo on the other side of that door he was going to invite him in so he could push him out the window. He got up and threw the sheets over Bokuto’s lap to cover him. 

He opened the door with an insult on his lips, and paused.

“What are you guys doing here?”

Oikawa peered into the room and raised his eyebrows at Bokuto, who was clutching the sheets at his waist. Then he smirked at Akaashi and opened his mouth, but was cut off by Iwaizumi.

“Sorry to interrupt, but this will be fast. It’s about Suga and Daichi.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those who are curious, part two will focus more on Kenma and Kuroo, but there will be POVs from Akaashi and Iwaizumi.  
> Also there will be smut from here on out, but I'll post warnings on the chapters that have them.  
> xoxo

**Author's Note:**

> Sooo this was my first fanfic and I was kind of nervous because I got impatient writing and it didn't really turn out how I wanted. If people like it then ill post the rest of part one and start the next book so.. comments are appreciated (:


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